The invention relates generally to a device to be positioned on a tarpaulin or tent to reinforce an existing grommet or to act as a grommet if none theretofore existed. A rope, bungie cord, stake or the like can be attached to the device to secure or attach the tarpaulin or tent to the ground or other object.
It is well-known in the art to use grommets or the like for attaching ropes, bungie cords, stakes or the like to tarpaulins or tents. They typically comprise an annulus inserted in an aperture found in the tent or tarpaulin material. The ropes, bungie cords or the like secure the tarpaulin or tent to objects such as the ground, a boat or a car. Twisting, pulling and straining actions while securing the tarpaulin or from the wind places a concentrated force on the grommets. Prior art grommets are not designed to spread these forces out over a larger area to eliminate the concentrated force on the grommet. As a result, grommets frequently rip out of the tarpaulin or tent material in the direction of the force. Once the grommet pulls out, the fabric often tears away. This is known as pullout.
There have been various approaches to prevent pullout. One such way is to reinforce the area with extra material. An example can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,987 to Cottor. Another approach has been to attach the fastener by hand without penetrating the material, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,305 to Gillis.
What is needed is a grommet reinforcement device which is semi-permanent, requiring a tool to attach and detach, and one adapted for use either on tarpaulins having integrally formed grommets or on fabrics with no grommets.
The primary object is to provide a tarpaulin or tent fastener attachment which reinforces existing grommet locations to prevent pullout by spreading out the concentrated forces over a greater area of fabric.
Another object is to provide a tarpaulin fastener attachment which may be securely and semi-permanently attached to a sheet of fabric to provide a tie point that will withstand significantly larger forces than can typical brass thyroidal grommets commonly used today.
Yet another object is to provide a tarpaulin fastener attachment which reinforces the tarpaulin area to which the fastener is attached by spreading out the concentrated forces.